USC Trojans 2016 NCAA Football Gambling Odds

2016-17 Football Previews – (Pac 12) – Trojans

Looking for 2016 USC Trojans predictions? The USC Trojans went with continuity in the offseason as they let Clay Helton stay on as head coach. Only time will tell if it was the right move or not but I am firmly in the camp that the world of college football is better when the Trojans are relevant, so I hope they got this right.

2016 USC Trojans Handicapping

Whatever gets them their faster is the way to go. It is interesting that there was not a ton of real buzz amongst the hot candidates.

Coming into this season they will still have a major transition as they no longer have longtime starter Cody Kessler at QB. The rest of the offense is brimming with playmakers and potential pros so that side of the ball should be strong.

On defense they did make a change bringing back defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast. He has some stars to work with and how well USC does this season will likely be determined by how much they can improve on that side of the ball.

This is a good team with the potential to be really good.

USC looks like they will be in the conversation all season long…finally.

USC Trojans Predictions: Team Strengths

Clay Helton is an offensive minded coach and even though there is still some debate as to who the quarterback will be this season, there is no doubt they will have some serious weapons to work with.

Most believe that Juju Smith-Schuster will be the best receiver in college football this season and he is the kind of athletic presence that will make it easy for his quarterback to succeed.

At running back Justin Davis and Ronald Jones are NFL calibre runners and as good a duo as there is in the nation.

Adoree Jackson primarily plays cornerback and is considered one of the top athletes in the country.

I am not saying he is going to win it but he is in that rare category or defensive players who just might get enough enough opportunity on offense and in the return game to get Heisman traction. Charles Woodson style.

USC Trojans Predictions: Team Weaknesses

For the Trojans to get back to being elite they need the defense to step up. Bringing back a former coordinator may be part of the solution but at the same time he will be working with a group that returns just four starters, three of them in the secondary.

When USC has been great they have developed fantastic defensive linemen, both interior and at end, and that group is the biggest question mark heading into 2016.

Not their pedigrees as recruits but their ability to perform at a high level on the field.

The same goes for the quarterback position where it is assumed Max Browne will start. He has been in the program for a few seasons and is highly touted but has never been the guy. Starting the season the way they do will be a true baptism by fire.

USC Trojans 2016 Prediction: 10-2

If you look around you get a lot of different opinions about USC this season, everything from Top 10/PAC12 champ to another eight win campaign.

We will get a great idea what they are really made of in the opener when they take on the defending champs, Alabama, in their opener, in Texas – if they win it look out.

It is a tough schedule that also sees them with two challenging conference road games, @ Stanford and @ Utah before the end of the month.

If the Trojans are back they could easily qualify for the playoffs even with a loss as their schedule is that good. More likely they suffer a couple of losses. Depending on where those losses occur will determine the season they have.

They could certainly run through their conference sched but have trouble with season bookend games against Bama and Notre Dame.

I want to see how the quarterback plays but overall I am bullish on USC. That win total looks like a nice bet.

2016 USC Trojans Football Schedule

9/3/16 8:00 PM ET @ALA

9/10/16 2:00 PM ET USU

9/17/16 8:00 PM ET @STAN

9/23/16 9:00 PM ET @UTAH

10/1/16 TBD ASU

10/8/16 TBD COLO

10/15/16 TBD @ARIZ

10/27/16 10:30 PM ET CAL

11/5/16 TBD ORE

11/12/16 TBD @WASH

11/19/16 TBD @UCLA

11/26/16 TBD ND

What do you think about our 2016 USC Trojans predictions? Please leave us a comment below telling us how you think they’ll do in 2016!

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About The Wiesguy

5 Long years ago in a galaxy far far away the Wiesguy was a newcomer to the handicapping scene. Now...not so much. A true expert. Hailing from Toronto, Canada he is always sweet on the underdogs and you can often find his thoughts, musings and picks at moneydogs.blogspot.com.

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